How to remove over tightened lug nuts 

I concur from Ottawa Canada ... you sir are a legend! 3/4" lug nots torqued to 500 ft lbs I'm sure, all other videos to remove the one stubborn stripped nut that I could not budge with a 10 mile breaker bar were not helpful. Went to the local Canadian Tire, who said $100 just to look at the issue, or buy the $200 nut replacement set. It was your genius, to strip the aluminum jacket with the screwdriver and the chisel, that was the only thing that worked to reveal the rusted but intact 18 mm nut that I removed with the bar! Keep up the good work! And my daughter wanted to say thank you for making this amazing video and my daughter favorite part was when I told her you have a puppy/dog! Thx again!🙂😊

I do love your suggestion at the end. If the tire shop wont let me watch them put the lugs on I wont go there. And If they use those torque sockets with the impact I tell them to take them off and use a real torque wrench. Over tightening can also cause warping and wobbles.

I was getting ready to replace the disc brake pads and rotors on my 01 Dodge Dakota. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't budge a single lug nut using my 4-way lug wrench! One nut was missing the cap and even the factory lug wrench began to bend from my use of a cheater bar before finally the corners rounded off. After watching your video, I sprayed the nut liberally with PB Blaster and I used a ball peen hammer to seat an 18mm deep socket firmly over the nut. Using a piece of pipe as a cheater bar, the nut came right off. THANK YOU for your video!

My 1993 Wrangler lugs were frozen tight. I soaked the lugs several days and I drilled a small hole in the lug "skin" and filled it with PB Blaster for a few days. I hammered on a 3/4" impact socket with a 2 1/2/lb. ball peen and gave it some good shots. I used a 25" Harbor Freight breaker bar ($20.) and used my foot (I weigh 280 lbs.) and they let go. Two stripped off their covers and got rounded off by a 18 mm impact socket. I used a 1" bi-metal hole saw to remove some of the aluminum around the lug. If you angle the saw a little it cuts along the side of the lug and relieves the tension on the lug,they come right out. The wheel is still good . Replace with good lugs from NAPA,maybe a touch of anti seize on mating surfaces.

People like you keep my pockets full thank u for existing sir

The last mechanic thought he was torquing train wheels.

You'll be less likely to damage your wheel if you forget the hammer and chisel and instead drill a small hole in the end of the aluminum lug nut cover. Use that hole as the starting point for removal.

I worked in the tire industry for many years.. where I worked, we had a golden rule... take them off with an air gun... put them back on with a four way...

As an ASE certified tech, in my years of experience on these aluminum wheels the lug nut is seized to the rim and not the stud. This occurs frequently and is not because of over torquing the lug nut. If you put your socket on the seized lug nut and give it a few good wraps with a big dead blow or a sledgehammer it will free it so you can twist it off with the impact. To prevent this from happening again clean the rim where the lug nut seats and put some antti seize in there. Don't put anti seize on the threads of the lug nut or on the stud only where the lug nut seats.

We just bought a 2014 GMC Yukon for Mrs. Cuss. I wanted to look at the brake pads' thickness, so tried to pull the wheels. Turned out that the GM-supplied lug wrench was 22mm and the lug nuts were 19mm (likely aftermarket wheels). Anyway, the tires had been rotated a few weeks earlier, was not expecting most to be too tight for my 1/2" electric impact wrench which claims 230-250 ft lbs. I pulled out my torque wrench and those were all tighter than its 150 foot lb maximum. Anyway, I used an appropriate 6-sixed socket and long breaker bar to remove them, and I torqued to specification on re-install. I would've been SOL had that happened on the road, and doubt that even AAA could've loosened them.

You are a legend, your video got me out of a bad place, new ranger and every single nut was spinning. No other video , 20 that I found, showed the fix like you. Liked and subscibed, Legend status!!

Ive changed many tires where the lugs were on so tight that we ended up snapping the studs when trying to remove the nut. F'ing lazy shops that zip them on with an impact on full torque.

I hate how some shops over tighten lug nuts, Walmart and some Costco tire centers have a habit of over tightening lug nuts.. Whenever I get my tires changed I go to the mom and pop tire shop near my house. They only use an impact wrench to take off the wheel and they tighten them by hand with a torque wrench.

Beautifully shown and explained. Thank you. I had this happened to me. I used a chisel and could not do it so I took it to my local mechanic and he did it worse. He used a blow torch or something and damaged the area around the lug nut on my aluminum wheel. Obviously he did not care. My wheels in addition were new. All mechanics like to use those power tools and this is the result. If you use an impact wrench how many pounds should you place on these lug nuts. Thanks again for such a great video.

There seems to be no shortage of dumb-ass mechanics who over-tighten wheel lugs. I'd be concerned about cracks in those aluminum wheels.

"Be sure and eat a good breakfast" 😂

I had to do this on a Land Rover discovery. Did exactly what you did. I used a breaker bar with a pipe over it so I had about 3 feet of leverage. That helped a lot. Took about 2-3 hours to do all 20.

Got a flat on my 2015 Jeep wrangler I have never had the wheel off. The first lug nut I went to take off spun off in the socket. Jeep. Installs the cheapest junk from the factory. The only people who had touched the wheels where the dealer ship during rotation. I am now looking for solid lug nuts. I was lucky there was a tire shop in the mall where I was at. There was a storm ready to rain down on me. Very cold windy weather.

I keep a full toolbox in my car, so im prepared well beyond most people. One thing i always carry for my breaker bar is a rocket socket lug nut extractor socket. Ive just started working for AAA and its come in handy, as well as keeping a few spare lug nuts in the toolbox

Nice one Greg. We all been there, on the side of the road you have very little chance. Service technician mmmmm, I wouldn't call them that. They should be torqued on!! Always!

I agree they were over tightened however the aluminum skirt around the nut is not necessary damaged by over tightening. The factory lug nuts like these are notorious for swelling. I have seen brand new cars come in for their first rotate with the lugnuts swollen. Also over tightening lugnuts will damage the stud and reduce the clamping force. With how tight they seemed I would highly recommend replacing all lugs and studs to be safe.

A torque multipler is great tool for breaking lugs loose. I just use the standard 15" 1/2 drive breaker bar for most breaking bolts loose. Everything else just needs more leverage applied.

Had the same thing happen to me once you get that aluminium cover cap off. Use a 1/2 socket and driver with a long piece of pipe on it for leverage remember archametize could lift the world with the longest lever.

Thanks for the video... my lug nuts were on so tight that I had to use a 25 inch breaker bar to get them off but I don't go to a shop because I do all my own repairs.

Thank God iv never had that problem YET. But I'd like to suggest using a metal pipe, around 60cm long (aluminium or S/S) over one side of the wheel brace to give you 5 times more leverage power. That way you don't have to break your back or damage your hands or your muscles. This of course works much easier with a single armed wheel brace which is usually supplied along with your car's particular jack.

i think scratching the rim is the last thing to worry about when your on the side of the road!

keep turning, and keep turning, and keep turning!!! tnx for this vid! was just about ready to let it roll down a cliff and die, but I got it!

Also have fun changing the wheel studs as they have deformed from over tightening and will eventually just snap.

Good to know about these aluminum-cased bolts. To get more leverage and not break your back with the 4-way, you might want to try standing up and pushing down with one leg while pulling with 2 hands. I've had to do it few times. They certainly put them on tight with the impact guns.

Thanks for video; it helped me remove the lug nuts on my Dodge Charger 🤗

best way to stop thins from happening.. remove all the oem alum. skinned lug nut and replace them with new reg. lug nuts..did this to my 2014 ford fusion 2.0 se.. replace them with spline drive lub nuts. and never had a problem for many years

Thank you for the video! This saved me money. I got some quotes from a few mechanic shops to get two lug nuts off and wow... They said it would be $1K+ to remove them because they would have to cut out the axle and some other crap. I ended up using your method to remove the caps and then used a breaker bar and lug nut removal tools for stripped nuts. It ended up costing me about $50 and and an hour or so.

Some cars don't have a spare wheel, so if you have a flat while you are out and have to pull over to the side of the road this won't be a problem until you get home and want to fix the tire. On the other hand just fix the tire at the side of the road using one of those puncture repair kits then you won't need to take the wheel off. just plug that thing, and when you get a chance take it back to the shop that put your wheel on originally, and tell him he over tightened your lug nuts and now you need him to remove the wheel at his own expense. But a plug works really well in an emergency, so long as you have a pump handy and the plug kit, and they are quicker than changing a wheel, and you don't always need to use a jack.

Use a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar with a 4 foot pipe on it..that will work better that a lug nut wrench/

I am having this same issue. I will talk to tire shop i go to when i get tire rotation done.

thank you very much! your video helped me out ! My tire shop put them on way to tight! needed to use a 4 way and a 5 foot cheater bar for the rest!!! thank you

Who says that guy cant bench 300lbs? I am 43, 5 foot 6 inches tall and 205lbs. Short and fat most people would say, and old! I bench 305 with a 450lb deadlift! This guy is bigger than me, and older too I am guessing. Back on topic, had the same issue and it did not work for me. Bought a nut extractor kit from Canadian Tire and a 1/2 inch to 3/8 impact adapter. First use the impact adapter snapped like a toothpick after 350ft/pounds of force applied. Thankfully the extractor can also be used with a 1 1/8 socket. First attempt turned the lugnut into some steel mush. Didnt look like a lugnut anymore! Second attempt I hammered on the extractor a little more and then applied well over 400 ft/lbs of torque. Snap the lugnut broke loose. My tire shop is going to have a really Bad Monday morning. Why? Because I am going to be their and they are going to have to explain to me why I need to use over 400ft/lbs of torque to take my wheels off? I am not leaving until the cost to replace all my lug nuts are replaced at their cost, plus the removal tool! Update: Busy shop apparently does not like a guy losing his mind around a whole slew of customers. All costs reimbursed. Will I go back to the shop? I am so mad, yet I will because of the manager that dealt with this.

Thanks for showing how to remove the skin. As an FYI, using a "reverse threaded nut removal socket" does not work. Snapped a breaker bar part that goes in the socket. Will try reversing it off and going the route of removing the aluminum skin.

Been there, done that. I'd also suggest, once you've chopped the aluminum skin off the lug nut, hit it with penetrating oil and leave it to soak for a while

@ 9:00 you are in danger of cracking your shin (and busting a gut). Use a socket with a long extension, outer end of extension resting on an axle stand at right height. Breaker bar on the extension, scaffolding tube on the breaker bar. Then foot on the end of the scaffold tube - easy. I use a 3/4" drive breaker bar and extension, although you might need an adapter down to a 1/2" drive socket .

I had the same problem. I had new tires put on. It's time to replace all the brakes. So I googled the issue. This video came up. So I used a craftsman 3/4 12 point 3/8 socket with a Snap-On driver and with car on the ground it came straight off. (411 none of my lugs or studs are rusty however)

I ended up telling the dealer to take all of my chrome lugs and give me plain ones. They wanted to charge me at first! I'd had one flat too many for a relatively new car that I'd bought brand new. The 'basic' lug nuts really bothered me for a while, but I got over it pretty quick.

I even felt the frustration and painstaking process as you struggled with the last bolt. I thought I tightened the nuts enough after a tire rotation at home and some where loose later on. I retightened them with my foot and unknowingly doing so was too tight and snapped the stud. That happened to me a while back, (and currently as the bots are stubborn again). Spent a decent amount of time hammering out the stud and thank goodness for barely enough rotor shield clearance as that bot is a serious major pain, I gave up but got very lucky for the space clearance. Since then I dread even touching the bots on my car.

Pretty sure Its a stainless casing not an aluminum one. I would replace all those caps with solid ones.

A differential shop overtorqued mine so bad. Milwaukee m18 with 1400 ft lbs of torque wasnt doing it.

For those of us who don't bench 300#s the word is LEVERAGE. Get a long hollow pole/pipe and use that as the "handle".

I always tighten to 120nm/110 nm on my car with an impact, and i check it with a tourqe wrench afterwards. Still they appead to be stuck. What i did was i cleaned the threads on the bolt and inside the hubs. So now when i change tiers i can get the wheel of easily unlike before.

Wouldn't you just love this Prat working with his hammer and chisel on your new Merc?

I experienced this very same problem. After several hours of annoying my neighbors with my impact wrench. I decided to take the vehicle to a mechanic, and pay someone to remove all my cheap ass factory lug nuts. And replace them this solid steel lug nuts. You can really annoy yourself. In fighting with yourself in dealing with this situation. Save yourself the headache. And pay someone to do this job for you.😬😬😬😬😬😬🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯😖😖😖😖😖😖😖😖

I always thought shops overtighten to force you to come back there to get it fixed.

Over tightening can also damage the the rotor’s warping them

This is not an overtightened lug nut. This is a damaged stud video. I need to see a video condemning mechanics who bear down on an impact wrench that ensures that the owner of the car will never be able to change a flat on the side of the road. Meaning, the nut is too tight but can otherwise still be removed using an impact wrench. The danger of an overtightened nut is that the wrench slips off after the person is angry and sweating out of his eyeballs in the summer heat and ends up breaking an arm just trying to get the overtigtened nut off.

you got lucky, hammering onto the lug on the dodge/chysler series crushes the soft metal onto the stud making them as one. i have a 900ft lb air gun that chewed it into a circle. even a swirl socket could not get them off. ended up using a air chisel to break them out

Good video, but it’s not a 435 lb torque wrench … it’s an Impact gun. (I think you just misspoke?) …..now how to get the old lug nut out of the four way tire wrench?? Vise & pull because it’s toast anyway? Thx!

Wow.....!! You made my day...!!! Thank you so much a lot for sharing this experience. The same situation with my car wheels. You are the men!!

Hey man that was really helpful I tried the hammer method it worked100% finally the bolts are off after hard struggling , can’t thank you enough 👏🏻

I don't bench press 300lbs., so I use a breaker bar and a pipe. Unfortunately, my aluminum cap is of and the nut/stud turn but don't come apart. So I'll keep searching.

This helped me out so much! It was a pain in the @ss but it worked great! Thank you for the video!

Just went thru this same mess with my In-Law's van. Had the snow tires installed last week on Tues., and a front wheel came loose on the highway on Fri. Turns out they had over-tightened the nuts so much, that one stud broke off and the other 4 came loose. All 5 wheel studs, nuts and the steel rim had to be replaced. I had the 4 unbroken ones measured with an electronic caliper. Each one was a different length. I am very sure all 4 wheels were over-tightened. Why? When I tried to remove the other three wheels by hand with a 4-way cross wrench, I couldn't do it. I needed an impact wrench and 3 foot cheater bar, and, I only got one wheel off. I had a Tire Shop get the other two off, with difficulty. All 4 wheels were then torqued properly, using a Torque Wrench.

In England tyre fitters have a lot to answer half of them don't know the meaning of the word torque wrench . We have just had in a 2002 Mercedes E.class and 3 of the alloy wheels are impossible to remove and the long wheel bolts just sheer off this side of the wheel .A littlethought a smear of copper slip and a torque wrench and this problem would never arise,in the end we had to blow the wheels off with a cutting torch and the customer supplied a set of used rims and bolts .

Next time, film with the phone being horizontal. It makes the video and experience much better. Thanks for the video

I work at a little Shop with young guys , all I see is impacts throwing lugs on . I invested in a torque wrench, however when it comes to working they want you to be speedy. regardless of torque specs. I guess that's how it is. and then you get this. had a box truck come in for a rotation. took a impact at full force to get the lugs off. barely. rediculous.

Would be much easier if you slipped a small section of pipe over your wrench... only thing that freed up some lug nuts I'ved dealt with over the yrs. Plus considering the amount of force physically being exerted on your wrench, can keep your hands away from where theyd get pinched if nut breaks free or wrench slips/breaks. Always keep a 2-3' long pipe along with at least 1/2" breaker bar in my truck

Why not use a good quality 6 point impact socket, a breaker bar and a 4 foot cheater pipe?

It makes the lug an 18mm after the jacket comes off the lug

Interesting I have the same problem luckily the flat was ion the drive way I am so frustrated why any shop would do This and cause so much problems

So the trick is to remove all the lugnuts without using a jack or jackstand and have the full weight on the wheel that you're removing, right?

I usually service all my vehicles. Many years ago, I went to a tire dealer place. There was an "angry'" mechanic, who throws tools and what not around. I should leave right away. I did not. He tighten the wheel nuts with the air impact at the max setting and banging away for 10+ seconds to make sure that those nuts will never, never come off.

I actually bent ( twisted )my 4 way removing a stuck lug nut like that. I sed a length of pipe over the other end. I didnt notice it right away that I had twisted it until my daughter asked me what was wrong with my tool,It was laying on the garage floor,thats when I noticed I had damaged it. geesh! I hate those aluminum lug nut covers. Ivended up replacing all my nuts with regular chrome ones,much better,thats for sure. I still have that bent 4 way.

You keep referring to the lug nut as a "bolt". This can be confusing to people who know the difference between the two. While there are some cars that use lug BOLTS rather than studs and nuts, what you are describing is not one of those. Next, you describe the lug nut as being encased in aluminum, i.e. the nut's cover is made of aluminum. This is not true.. They are made of very thin stainless steel. Not that this makes any difference to the guy trying to get the lug nuts off, but I hate to see erroneous information disseminated on videos. If i have a shop install my wheels, I always specify 90ft/lbs of torque on the lug nuts. ( Good shops will use a torque-limiting extension if they have to use an impact wrench.) Then, when I get the vehicle home, I check every nut with a torque wrench.

All lugnuts should only break tightened so a 5' tall line 100lb woman can get them off (which is about 40 foot pounds). If you're worried about anything coming off put some loctite on there

Leverage! You need more leverage and less muscle. Get an extension (metal pipe, crowbar, etc put in the “X” tool to increase leverage) l keep one in car. You can find portable ones that will extend for more leverage at auto parts store.

Wow! You dont know how much this video helped me. Thanks!!

Don't change wheels at the side of the road. Most good quality non-runflat high performance tyres, can run flat with care, up to 80km/h for up to 50km. Drive your car to safety, such as a Service Station, Service Centre or Rest Stop.

Why on earth would you impact with a non impact socket? And why do the Authors of these “Mechanics” seem to make these videos in shorts, and t shirts, and really don’t emphasize safety. Chrome socket on impact gun.... BAD IDEA

I spent 2 hours tonight, trying to get my lug nuts off. I rounded two nut with the lug wrench. Then I busted a breaker bar and a ratchet wrench. Cracked 4 sockets, one was for an impact wrench. I have 19 MM nuts, and after you remove the thin metal cover, an 18 MM fits perfect. So I cracked all three 18 MM sockets I had, and one 14 MM impact socket. I finally gave up. Tomorrow I'm going to buy one of those turbo sockets that bite into the nut. I better buy 2, knowing my luck with sockets. If that doesn't work...there is always dynamite!

Good video, good suggestions, thank you for sharing. FYI, whenever creating a video the cellphone should always be horizontal. Think of your TV and being at a cinema, both are horizontal. A suggestion to phone makers, when video mode is switched on a warning should pop up stating to turn the cellphone to horizontal.

Awesome video, thank you for posting this.

can't see the logic in smashing a "4 way" on the nut. I would have got out the socket set and used a smaller socket.

I have a hub that's stuck on so I don't have a tire for support and been tighted with a power tool and my car is in the air on Jack's for a day already what can I do I worried

turn the air compressor up to 120 psi and turn that fucker so fast it comes right off

i learned my lesson , and retorqued my wheels with a torque wrench

Aluminum wheels should be tightened to 80 ft pounds the tire shops won’t check them they use impact gun and way over tighten

3:05 dog knew he was in the shot? lol

I just came across the same issue with my friends car I just took a punch and a hammer punched a hole through the outside shell then took a pair of pliers and pulled it off yhen used a 3/4 drive wratchet with the appropriate size socket and used a metal bar on weather for leverage and lug nuts came right off

nice doggie lol (3:04)

I just rotated my "new" tires this morning after their first 5,000 miles. Apparently the mechanic that installed them must have torqued them to more than 400 lbs. I used a breaker bar to loosen them and it still took a lot of strength to get them off. One of the studs was completely messed up. I was lucky enough to run into a mechanic at NAPA who knocked out the stud and put the new one I bought at NAPA along with the new lug nut. He completed the whole job in about 15 minutes.

THANK YOU!!! WENT TO GET NEW TIRES AND MY BOLTS ARE WAY TO TIGHT🤦🏾‍♀️SO I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THEM OFF

worked great! my son and I got it off in 20 mins.

What if the socket is stuck on the lug nut while the wheels are still on?

They can be damaged over tightening them, but what usually happens is corrosion. You have two metals here..the steel lug nut with aluminum "caps". The steel rusts and swells the cap causing it to slip. Basically they are crap cheap lug nuts. Dodge and Jeep are also notorious for lug nut stud galling and stripping. Buy some real solid steel chrome, or even better, anodized lug nuts to replace these cheapo garbage and no more issues. Better keep some anti seize on those studs as well.

24” breaker bar is easiest way to solve the problem like this

Ive used heavier duty impact gun than the one the video poster used and still couldn't take my lug nut off. After welding a socket onto the damn nut after one hour of heating and all sorts of attempts it came off. Damn mechanics who overtightened shit as well. Fyi im an aircraft mechanic and work cars as well

i dont trust craftsman impacts, Ingersoll rand is pretty good.

Actually has nothing to do with being too tight you can't get it off because the cap came off of the lug nut and it is stripped there are no corners

Great information. Thanks.

Bro, you just helped me out a lot!!!!! I'm dealing with the same situation! I'm going back today to the place that rotated my tires and I'm going to try and keep calm!!! But if I can't..."I'm Gonna Bring The Mother F&*in Demons!!!!!!!!!!!" MAAFH!!!!!!!!!!

Thats not an aluminum cover over the bolt; all my dodges had stainless steel skins over the bolts

Oh I’d really love to have a conversation with a mechanic that put my wheels on but I have no idea who did it because I just bought the vehicle and I can’t get another I’ve tried about everything I’m gonna have to torch it off or drill it out I have tried extractor and tried chisel

Can we buy good ole steel replacement nuts?